The role of nursing innovation and technology in healthcare improvement

Nursing doesn't work in an auxiliary role to medicine, but independent of medicine. Nurses provide both direct and indirect care and also manage cases, establish nursing practice standards and procedures for quality assurance and also direct various care systems. The number of nurses in the United States is four times that of physicians and they deliver a wide range of care services including preventive and curative care in such areas as women's health, erotological care, family health and pediatrics (Nursing Fact Sheet, 2017).

As Designers and Providers of Patient-oriented Healthcare

As regards healthcare innovation, cross pollination is necessary and does take place between the various sectors in healthcare. For instance, ideas developed by nurses don't only support nursing practice, but are also applied in various other disciplines within healthcare (Omachonu & Einsprunch, 2010). With increased innovation, patients suffer less and the complexity of healthcare provision is reduced. Further, innovations lead to optimizations that also reduce per capita cost of healthcare which makes healthcare more affordable to a bigger segment of the population (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2017).

Role of Technology

i. Patient Centered Care

Technology is crucial as it helps patients access records easily and faster. The use of technology makes transmission of information from one healthcare facility or provider to another much easier. From the point of view of the patient, the outcome wanted is reduced illness and improved health (Omachonu & Einsprunch, 2010).

ii. Technology Technology has been very important in the improvement of healthcare systems. Hospitals have been very open to adopting technology to improve medical devices but not much attention has been put in using technology in improving communication systems in the healthcare sector. The main reason for this could be a fear that such systems can be breached. Hospitals tend to lay great emphasis on patients' privacy (Omachonu & Einsprunch, 2010).

iii. Integration A majority of the information available in healthcare today are designed with their own different formats and rules. Integration is not easy because of the boundaries placed by the inhibiting rules and formats. In some cases, the rules are so different that a hospital cannot utilize a patient chart from a different hospital. Going forward, technology can be used to bridge these gaps. The goal will be using technology to create records that a patient can use in different hospitals (Omachonu & Einsprunch, 2010).

iv. Coordination Evidence-based innovations are extensively used in healthcare. However, the implementation of such innovations in a healthcare facility may not necessarily transfer to another facility. If another facility adopts the innovations, the dissemination is often very slow. Using technology helps improve coordination between health facilities and also between health facilities and their patients. Coordination between patients and health facilities is particularly important in the management of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Triple Aim and the Healthcare System

"Triple Aim" involves the improvement of health of populations, experience of care and the reduction of per capita cost of healthcare for populations. Technology allows for continuous improvement of various factors, elimination and reduction of bottlenecks and constraints and the implementation of cost saving policy thereby reducing cost of healthcare for large numbers of people (Berwck, Nolan, & Whittington, 2008).

Relation between Triple Aim and Care Continuum

Improving individual care can result in increased costs if the exercise involves the utilization of expensive methods, technology or drugs. Conversely, getting rid of misuse or overuse of diagnostic tests or therapies can lead to reduced costs and better outcomes for patients. One of the hindrances to realizing the triple aim is players not appreciating system knowledge among organizations and clinicians, and the importance of the role of technology in manufacturing. This lack of knowledge leads to sub-optimizations that drive costs up (Berwck, Nolan & Whittington, 2008).